Question about first vet visit

[sofiaee]

Well to be perfectly honest with you guys I've never taken Oliver to the vet in the 4 years that I've owned him. In the beginning I relied solely on my parents for money and I was happy enough just having a bird! I asked for a vet visit because people always recommend them and I understand the worth, but my dad didn't think it was important/worth it. And after having him for so long with no issues I sort of forgot about it.

But we just got a new bird so I made an appointment for tomorrow at 11 AM with the only avian vet in my area (still like half an hour away though!). Now it's going to be out of my pocket so this will be fun

I'm wondering do you guys think it would be more worthwhile to take the new bird first or to take Oliver? I am definitely planning on getting a checkup for both! So don't worry! I just want to know if it really matters which I take first?

Phew got that off my chest. I feel like a bad parront

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I would take the new bird first

And don't feel bad, things happen and we don't always have control over it. I didn't get Rosie to the vet until I'd already had her 6 months! At first I didn't realize anything was wrong, but as I learned more about parrots I realized there was something very wrong. I was a full time student with no job and it was my parents who paid for her first vet trip.

So be glad, it's awesome your bird is healthy and didn't require vet trip for four years. The great benefit about a vet trip is knowing your birds health for sure , having a vet tell you is a great relief because it's a break from the constant paranoia and guessing all parronts go through trying to determine out birds healthy

 

[MikeyTN]

I would also say take the new bird in first, it's usually the newer ones you have to worry about bringing something into your home that you don't want. It's understandable you weren't able to bring your bird to the vet because you were relying on your parents. But at least your able to do so now on your own.

 

[sofiaee]

Well we just got back from the vets and from lots of errands. We did the physical exam and everything checked out fine and they said she had great muscles. Kind of disappointing but the certified avian vet we drove all across town for wasn't the one who actually saw Mia. But the guy who took care of her seemed to also know what he was doing/was very experienced. I'm sure she's passed on some knowledge to them. I was not able to afford their care package at about $400+ per bird. I feel bad because I know everyone always says to get blood work and everything done, at least the first time. I was hoping to borrow money from my dad and pay it off later as I don't have a job right now because I'm starting school but he is under the impression that because Green Cheeks are less expensive than bigger birds they should not need expensive vet care.

I was wondering what your opinions were on businesses like Avian Biotech? They have a package that includes "DNA Sexing, PBFD, Polyoma, Chlamydia, Avian Herpes
(Pacheco's)." For $85. I could most certainly afford this per bird. Is Avian Biotech accurate? Are these worthwhile diseases to test for? Should I add other ones?

I feel really bad to be skimping like this but for the moment at least I can't afford to be paying more thank $150 per bird. I'll be keeping Mia in Quarantine until I can figure out what to do.

I could really use some guidance with this. I know I'm not a vet and I agree that what they do is important but it's unfortunately not in my price range and my dad doesn't think it's important enough. He's old fashioned when it comes to small pets. He just says to quarantine for a long time.

 

[weco]

But the guy who took care of her seemed to also know what he was doing/was very experienced. I'm sure she's passed on some knowledge to them. I was not able to afford their care package at about $400+ per bird. I feel bad because I know everyone always says to get blood work and everything done, at least the first time. I was hoping to borrow money from my dad and pay it off later as I don't have a job right now because I'm starting school but he is under the impression that because Green Cheeks are less expensive than bigger birds they should not need expensive vet care.

I was wondering what your opinions were on businesses like Avian Biotech? They have a package that includes "DNA Sexing, PBFD, Polyoma, Chlamydia, Avian Herpes
(Pacheco's)." For $85. I could most certainly afford this per bird. Is Avian Biotech accurate? Are these worthwhile diseases to test for? Should I add other ones?

For the price, I wouldn't hesitate using Avian Biotech.....they're actually a well recognized international testing laboratory.....in your decision making, keep in mind that many veterinarians do not have an in house laboratory to do their own testing and may even send their samples to Avian Biotech, with the difference in the vet's charges being their charges for the specimen collection, record keeping, packaging, shipping & small profit for the service.....

Good luck.....

 

[MikeyTN]

Wow, Avian Biotech is really good deal!!! I wouldn't hesitate using them either!!!

 

[sofiaee]

I'm glad to know avian biotech is good place! But when I was researching about vets everyone says that they get blood work done, but doesn't say what it is that has been tested. What is it normally tested for?

 

[MonicaMc]

Keep in mind that is only for disease testing and is not really the same as a blood panel that checks organs, white blood count, proteins, uric acid, calcium, bile acids, etc. (CBC aka Complete Blood Count aka Blood Panel is the blood work that's typically done at the vets office)


You can learn a little bit more about CBC's in the following links.

Complete Blood Count
Basic Avian Clinical Pathology Testing


My avian vet offers blood testing as cheap as $90 per bird, but it's just a basic panel and does not include more extensive testing. As per her, the full bloodwork for feather destructive behavior (i.e. plucking/mutilation) could easily cost $300-$600.

 

[sofiaee]

Thank you for the info! It's really helpful.

Do you know if there is a reason avian biotech does not offer this?

It was very confusing for me at the vets office because the technician would not give me advice on which blood test to do (there were like 2-3 different disease testing ones and some other ones but I was so overwhelmed I forgot the name of the CBC/Blood panel). I kept asking her which would be the most important, most common, etc. She kept saying all of them, which is probably true, but I can't afford to be spending $180 x 4 per bird. Especially if I can at least get the disease testing cheaper somewhere else.

 

[ruffledfeathers]

Yep, i agree you did right taking the new bird first. And my Avian vet doesn't do most of the lab work there, but ships it out. (It's why i pay more for it--he will give me a discount sometimes, if my money is tight, on HIS services, but when he ships it out, they are not going to discount their services.)
With the bird you have had for years, you may want to invest in the blood panel like MonicaMc mentioned. That was helpful to me in the past with my bird, and it does help you find things before they become larger issues. I feel like it's not just recommended but it is actually beneficial.

 

[MonicaMc]

I don't know why AB doesn't offer it, but I also don't know if the blood requires any special handling and shipping. I'm not familiar with how they do the testing, but I know that the blood may need to be spun to separate it from the plasma. Blood probably needs to be shipped in a cold pack container with information stating what's inside it. (i.e. requires special handling so the contents do not get smashed or damaged)

I really don't know! And it's not something I ever bothered asking my a-vet.

 

[sofiaee]

Yeah I would like to do a blood panel to find out about Oliver's health and to see if I'm taking care of him correctly. Perhaps I will go back to the vet for that now that I know exactly what it is I want to do. I think Mia's might be a little weird at this point since she's only just switching over to pellets.

I did email AB asking about it, hopefully they can give some insight. I would looove if I could do a blood panel using their rates but I'm pretty sure a blood panel would require more than what's in plucked feathers or a drop of blood from a nail (what they use for DNA and disease testing). I'm certainly not trained to collect blood samples!

About disease testing though, do most people do this with new birds or just wait for quarantine to be over? It seems that there are so many diseases a bird could potentially have, do people test for all of them or just the most common?

Thanks for your help guys! I really appreciate it!

 

[sofiaee]

Ugh I wish the vet people had been so clear with me, it would have saved a lot of time and stress!

 

[MonicaMc]

It really depends on the individual and perhaps even the birds themselves. Birds coming out of bad situations really need a blood panel more than birds coming from good situations - but that's not to say that a bird from a good situation can't be sick.

In general, I do fecals and blood panels when I feel they are required,but I haven't gotten any thorough testing done beyond testing a large mass for cancer (twice - negative first time, positive second time) and necropsies performed.